Three Letters
by pikapikatchu
Summary: When Nick is in fear of having a deadly disease, he needs Greg more than he knows. Life doesn't seem to make any sense right now. Why did this happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my new story. As I already told you (if you read my previous story, that is :) ), this one's a little more Nick-heavy than you might be used to from me. It's interesting for me to write a story from a different angle for once, but don't you worry! Greg's VERY prominent in this one, as well! Never would I forget about our beloved Greggo :)**

**Enjoy and please tell me what you think! ;)**

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><p>"Alright, Mr. Petersen. Why don't you start from the beginning. What happened?" Nick asked a guest at a restaurant that was robbed an hour ago. While detective Reed and Greg were in the front talking to the other victims, Nick was in the kitchen, Mr. Petersen was sitting there with a wrapped up arm. The robbers shot at him, but it was just a graze wound.<p>

"I really need to get home now, do I need to sign something or...?" Mr. Petersen asked rather nervously.

"I'm afraid you can't just leave right now. It's your right to refuse to go to the hospital with this wound, but you can't leave this investigation until you answered all my questions."

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><p>Greg walked away from the guest he just interviewed. He sighed. "Are yours as uncooperative as mine?"<p>

Reed smiled. "I didn't listen to what yours said, but I'm sure mine are even worse."

He smiled back. "Where's Nick?" He arrived a bit late, therefor didn't know that Nick was talking more privately with Mr. Petersen.

"In the kitchen." Reed looked to an old lady who was walking up to her. "Oh no, not again, she won't stop talking!" She put on a fake smile. "Mrs. Hale, what can I do for you?"

Greg giggled and shook his head a bit as he was making his way into the kitchen. He knocked on the door and opened. Mr. Petersen was lying on the floor, there was blood all over him. Nick was standing in a corner, blood all over him, as well, and a very shocked look on his face. He had cuts on his face and hands and was breathing heavily. "Oh my god, Nick... I need some help in here!" Greg shouted out to Reed before walking in. He bended down, taking a quick look at Mr. Petersen. When he didn't appear to be breathing, he wanted to check for a pulse.

"Don't touch him!" Nick yelled.

Greg turned around and walked over to Nick. "What happened? Are you alright?" As he reached out his hand to help his friend, Nick fought it off.

"Don't!"

"...What...? Nick, I'm trying to help you. We need to stop the bleeding!"

"Don't touch me!"

Reed hurried inside. "Jesus..." As she saw Mr. Petersen lying there, she quickly put on some gloves and checked for a pulse. "No pulse..." She ran out to get the paramedics.

"Please calm down, Nick. I'll just take a look at these cuts, see how deep they are, okay? I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." Greg slowly walked up closer to Nick. He was pushed away forcefully, looking at Nick puzzled.

"He's HIV positive..." Nick finally said with a harrowing voice.

Greg looked at Mr. Petersen, then back at Nick. "...Okay..." He pulled out some gloves and put them on, then tried again to get closer to Nick. He flinched back as Greg's hand got closer to his face and shoved it away. "Come on, we touch lots of nasty stuff with these gloves on, your face is not where I draw the line!"

He managed to make Nick laugh for a second, but he still wouldn't let Greg touch him. The paramedics walked in, three of them quickly hurried to help Mr. Petersen. One walked up to Nick. He still hesitated to be examined. Greg talked to the paramedic for a minute and then was able to convince Nick to be looked on.

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><p>As Nick was being treated at the hospital, Greg was in the examination room with him, reading a magazine.<p>

"It's really not necessary for you to wait here, you know," Nick said as a doctor was taking a blood sample.

"I know." Greg turned a page in his magazine. "But I'm not gonna let you go through this alone just so that you can be all broody and keeping everything to yourself." Greg looked up from the magazine to give Nick a smile.

He smiled back. "So what's gonna happen now?"

"We've already started with the post-exposure prophylaxis, you'll have to take this for a month. We started very soon which is a good thing. It reduces the likelihood of an infection to a minimum. You need to get a test in three and six months, but you should be fine," the doctor said as she smiled at him. "Don't worry too much, positive thinking helps a lot."

Nick nodded. The look on his face made it obvious he still worried, though.

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><p>"You really don't have to do this, Greg..." Nick said as Greg walked into Nick's apartment with grocery bags in his hands.<p>

"Oh, stop it." He rolled his eyes smiling. He put the groceries on the kitchen cupboard.

"I could've gone grocery shopping myself, you know."

"I know that. But you needed some rest. How are you feeling?" Greg walked over to Nick.

"I'm fine, stop asking me that, will you?" He sat down on the couch.

"You need anything else?"

"Nope."

"Okay." Greg sat down next to Nick.

"What are you doing?"

"What'd you mean? Oh... Are you hungry? You want me to fix you something?"

"No..." Nick laughed a bit. "Don't you have to get back to work?"

"I told Russell I'm stuck in traffic, I got about 20 minutes!" He had a grin on his face as if this plan was the plan of an evil genius.

"Get out of here," Nick said with a smile on his face. "I'm fine, it's not like I'm bound to my bed, I can do everything myself."

"...Are you sure? I could take a few days off and..."

"I'm not taking a few days off, so why should you?"

"You're not...?"

"No, I can work just fine! Besides, I still need to file my report and talk to Russell about the incident." He got up. "Actually I could do this right now."

"What? You wanted to get some rest and..."

"I am rested. Let's go." He gently pushed Greg towards the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you guys for the reviews and favorite story adds! I appreciate it :)

And since I wanted to show you my appreciation and because I know many people like to read fanfic on Sunday, here's the next chapter!

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><p>Greg protested when they walked out of the apartment, when they were sitting in the car and on their way into the lab, to no avail. Nick insisted on going and there was nothing that could keep him from doing so. Greg knew how stubborn Nick could be, but still tried his best.<p>

"Hey, look who Greg brought with him while being stuck in traffic," Russell said with a grin on his face.

Greg smiled a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, well..."

"Normally you'd be in trouble because you lied. But Nick saved your ass, you're excused." Russell patted Nick on the back. "How're you doing?"

"I'm good, good... I'm here to file my report, tell you what happened," Nick replied.

"Good, then let's go in my office." He lead Nick to his office with his hand on his back. "Oh, and Greg. There's some evidence in the layout room waiting for you. You have to catch up with your workload!"

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><p>Nick sighed. "I don't know, man, it happened so fast. One minute I was asking him what he saw, the other he grabbed a knife and came right at me."<p>

"What did you ask him exactly?" Russell asked as they were sitting in his office. Russell was sitting on his desk.

"Phew... I'm not sure. I think I asked when he got shot."

"Got shot?"

"Yeah... He, uh... he had a graze wound on his arm. He didn't want to go to the hospital but the paramedics treated the wound."

"Did they know about the HIV?"

Nick nodded. "He told them before they treated him. Reed and I knew about it, too."

"Greg didn't?"

"No, he joined us later. I didn't even know he was already at the scene when he walked in."

"Okay, so let's get back to the attack. You asked him about the wound, then what?"

"He kept on saying he needed to go, he was in a hurry. He said this right before the attack. I told him he needed to wait until we were done, then he just grabbed the kitchen knife and attacked me."

Russell made notes. "He started cutting your hands and face?"

"I don't think that's what he wanted, he was aiming for my chest, but I fought him off as good as I could."

Russell nodded. "The wounds on your hands are defensive wounds."

Nick looked down to his hands as he nodded. A pause followed.

"...And then...?" Russel said, breaking the silence, animating Nick to tell the whole story.

"At first I thought I was able to overpower him, but he... He was still in control of the knife." Nick had to make a longer pause again to recollect himself, then he went on. "He lead the knife to his throat and then cut himself."

Russell leaned back. "Then what happened?"

"Because I knew about the HIV I..." He sighed. "I froze up. There was blood all over. All over the room, all over me... I, uh... I didn't know what to do, I just stood there. I should've helped him but..."

"I don't think I would've reacted differently, Nick."

He gave Russell a faint smile. "Well, and then... Greg came in."

Russell put up some sheets. "It doesn't say on Reed's report... and Greg didn't write his yet... What did he do when he walked in? Did he get exposed to the blood? Did he touch you or Petersen?"

Nick shook his head rapidly. "No, I told him to stay away."

Russell took a moment to read in the files. "But his shirt and vest are logged in as evidence. It says he had blood on it. How'd that happen?"

"Well... Since he didn't know about the HIV, he wanted to check on my wounds and I pushed him back. I couldn't let him take any risks."

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><p>For a change, a CSI really did what was expected from him after an incident like that – he went home to get some rest. In the meantime, Greg wrote his report. He went into Russell's office to drop it off. "There you go." He handed the report over and turned around, intending to leave the room.<p>

"Greg, wait a second."

He stopped and turned around again. "I'm sorry I lied about being stuck in traffic, but I wanted to be there for Nick and figured you wouldn't..."

"No," he stopped him. "It's not that. I get that, but next time be honest. I do understand something like that. Have a seat, I wanted to ask you about what happened."

"Oh, sure. Sure." He sat down. "But I'm afraid I don't really know much, I walked in after it happened. Everything I know is in my report."

"I know, but... How is he?"

Since the incident happened, Greg kept a happy face on. He made Nick laugh right at the restaurant and tried to cheer him up at the hospital. He tried to stay positive to help him, but he knew it wasn't really working. Finally, his mask fell off. "I'm worried. He keeps on saying he's fine but I look right into his face and see that he's not. I mean, how could he after that?"

Russell nodded.

"The risk of infection is minimal since he got the post-exposure prophylaxis early and the wounds will heal, but I know that he'll feel guilty about this man's death."

Russell let Greg talk, he didn't ask any questions or tried to lead the conversation into a certain direction, he just wanted to hear what he had on his mind. He just kept on nodding interested.

"I know first hand that it's not much comfort to know it was self defense. You're still responsible for a person's death and that can break you, it really can. I..."

But now, Russell needed to interrupt him. "What do you mean, self defense?"

Greg looked a bit confused. Russell already knew about the Demetrius James case from a few years ago, when Greg had to run over James to safe both a victim's life and his own. "Well... a few years ago I..."

"No." Russell interrupted him again. "I know your story. I mean Nick's."

"...Mr. Petersen, the guy who attacked him. He died at the scene."

"I know, but Nick said it was suicide."

"...Suici..." Greg stopped himself. "Oh, yeah." A pause followed. He looked thoughtful.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, I just... I guess I'm just tired." He gave Russell a faint smile. "It's been a long day."

"Greg..." He leaned forward. "If you know anything I don't... You need to tell me."

Greg sighed. After what happened lately with officer Spencer, he didn't want to be a snitch again. It wasn't even like he knew anything. "...What did Reed say about it?"

"I didn't talk to her yet, I just got her report."

"...What does it say?"

"Greg!" Russell exclaimed a bit impatient.

"Sorry." He laughed nervously. "I don't know anything, but I saw Nick's hands. He has defensive wounds but also wounds that suggest he pushed the back of the knife."

"Yeah, he said he thought he was in control of the knife but really wasn't. That Mr. Petersen lead the knife to his throat on his own."

Greg nodded.

"Did he tell you something different?" Russell asked a bit confused.

He shook his head. "I didn't ask what happened. He didn't look like he wanted to talk about it, so... I figured I could read the report later."

"Is there something else you want to tell me?"

"I think I told you everything I know." He was preparing himself to get off his seat.

Russell stopped him. "I know you two are friends, Greg, and it's good to be loyal to your colleagues. But you also need to be loyal to your boss... and yourself. If you keep anything important from me and it comes up later, you could be in big trouble."

Greg tilted his head forward as he exhaled. He looked up to Russell. "Off the record?"

Russell hesitated, but then nodded.

"I know Nick. He feels guilty about something. But that could be anything. I'm sure he told you the truth, but... Something, I don't know... Something about this whole story doesn't seem right."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

**Hope you're all having rather stress-free days before Christmas :) Here's the next chapter, I hope you like the Nick-focus! But as I promised, Greg won't be left behind!**

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><p>A week passed by and Nick's wounds started to heal. It was almost as if he and the others forgot about the incident. It was only little things that reminded them of it, like Nick's wounds. He also was overcautious about not having anyone come into contact with his blood. Yesterday he cut his finger on paper and wrapped it in a bandage and tried not to touch anyone, nobody noticed. But he was able to keep up his work as if nothing happened. The first few days, Greg was trying to help him as much as he could. He quickly noticed that this was not appreciated and stopped. Other than that, the relationship between him and Nick was good. Greg had a feeling that Nick was doing really good at the moment. He would be proven different tonight, when Nick had the night off.<p>

Greg's cell phone rang twice, but the caller hung up right after he picked up.

"Who's that calling you?" Sara asked. They were at a crime scene together.

"Nick. He keeps hanging up, though. I'll call him back..." Greg went away to a more private area and dialed Nick's number.

"_Yeah?__"_ Nick said on the other line.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

"_Sure."_

Greg looked a bit confused. "Why'd you call me?"

"_Oh,__ right. __Yeah. __Well...__" _A pause followed._ "__I__ need __you __to __pick __me __up.__"_

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><p>Greg arrived at a bar at around three a.m. Nick was nowhere to be seen. "Excuse me," he walked over to the bartender and asked him about Nick. He got told that he left the bar half an hour ago, so he walked out. He had to look around a bit, but he finally saw Nick's car parked outside. He knocked on the window. "There you are!"<p>

Nick startled a bit when he heard the knock. He was lying on the backseat. When he saw Greg, he sat up. "Hey."

"Wow, what happened to your face?"

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it..." Nick slurred.

"Come on, open up and let me in." Nick unlocked the car and Greg got in. "Alright..." he sat in the front passenger seat and turned around to him. "That's a nice bar you chose there... I like the faint smell of urine and vomit."

Nick laughed. "It's an alright bar."

"I think we had a murder here somewhere once... So... What are you doing here? And whose blood is this on your shirt? ...And your face."

Nick had some blood stains on his shirt. Not too much, though. His face looked worse. He had a black eye and a bloody nose.

"Nah, just some asshole who thought he'd be stronger than me."

"Judging from your face, I'd say he was." Greg tried not to sound too serious. He was well aware of how serious the situation was, but he didn't think it would help right now if he started preaching.

Nick laughed again. He leaned forward and put his arm around Greg, patting him on the chest. "Maybe a little."

Now Greg had blood stains on his shirt. "Okay, I appreciate blood stains on my shirt as much as the next guy, but come on, Nick, look at your hands! They're all bloody and bruised!"

He shrug his shoulders as he leaned back again. "Can you drive me home? I need to get some rest, I think I had a little bit too much to drink."

"You think so?" Greg said rather annoyed as he scooted over into the driver's seat.

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><p>Greg helped Nick lay down on the couch. He really was dead drunk. Greg had never seen him like that before. "So tell me, why'd you do this?"<p>

"Do what?" Nick asked with closed eyes.

"Take a wild guess. Why'd you go to a shabby bar, get drunk and have a bar fight? You've never done that before."

"Well that's not true. When I was 22, I..."

"Okay, okay. You've never done this since we know each other. Better? Now come on, what's going on with you? You're scared, aren't you?"

For the whole drive to his home, Nick played the jolly drunk guy. At least when he wasn't asleep. Now, he had a sad look on his face. "No. I just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

He slightly shook his head. "Thanks for giving me a ride home..." He closed his eyes.

"Nick, what..." As he saw him lying there, trying to get some sleep, Greg decided he could wait to get an explanation. He put a blanket on Nick and left.

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><p>On the next day, a few hours before Greg had to go to work, Nick knocked on his door.<p>

He walked in as Greg opened the door. "Okay, I know I need to apologize, but I can't if you don't take my calls! You know I'm going through a rough time and..."

"Nick." Greg interrupted him as he close the door. "Right after I dropped you off you started calling me and talking incomprehensible slurs into the phone, so I ignored your calls."

"...I did? Man, I'm sorry, I don't remember too much..."

"That doesn't surprise me." Greg sat down on the couch. "What was going on with you?" he asked rather concerned.

"I don't know, I... You know how this happens. You're bored, you go to a bar, you drink a little bit too much..."

"You were just bored, huh? And what about the bar fight?"

Nick sighed. He honestly didn't remember, but he now knew what happened to his face and hands. He figured it would've been something like that. "...How's the guy... The one I...?"

Greg laughed humorlessly. "I don't know, but judging from the shape you've been in yesterday I'd say he was just fine. Seriously, what was going on?" he asked sympathetically.

Nick sighed again as he sat down next to Greg. "I wasn't just bored, I was lonely and needed some company... It didn't matter that it was just some drunk guys."

Greg knew how hard it was for Nick to talk about his feelings. He appreciated that he confided in him, but he had to ask him about what he was talking about yesterday. "You also said you remembered something, that was your explanation..." he said carefully. He could see how quickly Nick's mood changed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied coldly.

"Nick, whatever it is, I won't judge you. It was obviously something important, or else you wouldn't have done... that..." He pointed at Nick's hands and face.

Nick was tapping his right foot nervously. "We need to get to work in a few hours and I need to get ready so..."

Before Nick could get up, Greg said, "No, no, no, wait! What is it?"

"...How much do you know about the incident?"

"Not much. Just what's in the report."

"I think I wasn't accurate when I told DB what happened..."

"...What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, I... I have these memories... I thought Petersen was killing himself by leading the knife to his throat. But yesterday I thought I remembered that I was actually the one forcing the knife on his throat."

Greg looked down to his feet. "Your mind's probably just playing tricks on you."

"Yeah, but what if not? What if my mind was actually protecting me when it made me believe it was suicide, when in reality I was the one who killed him?"

"Nick, he came at you with a knife. Whether or not he was actually the one cutting his throat, he sure was suicidal. There's just two possibilities. He either wanted to die or he wanted you dead."

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I know that, but I still feel guilty. And I just don't get it. Why would he want to die... like THAT?"

Greg shook his head. "We don't know. Maybe we'll never find out, but that doesn't matter. You need to concentrate on the positive side."

"And that would be? That I'll know in six months whether or not I have HIV? That I don't know if I actively killed him or not? What's the positive side? Tell me!" Nick said aggressively. He had so much anger towards Mr. Petersen and towards himself.

"Nick, the possibility that you contracted the virus is close to zero, you shouldn't worry a..."

Nick quickly interrupted him. "But I DO worry! How couldn't I? Don't tell me you wouldn't! And don't tell me you believe there's no chance I'm infected! I may not remember much from last night, but I do remember that you put on gloves before you took care of my wounds!"

Greg didn't know what to answer. He just looked at Nick.

Nick shook his head. "The pitying faces. I think that's the worst right now."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hope you're all having happy holidays! Here's my little Christmas treat for you ;)**

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><p>When Greg walked into the break room at the beginning of his shift, Nick was already sitting there. Greg didn't say anything except a quiet, "Hey," when he walked in. Nick nodded without looking up from the newspaper he was reading. Greg walked over to the coffee machine. "You want some, too?"<p>

"I'm good."

He went on to fix himself a cup when Sara walked in. She quickly sensed that something was wrong. "Hey guys, what's up?"

Nick didn't answer. Greg sat down next to her, talking to her about trivial stuff. After a few minutes, Nick suddenly jumped off his seat and walked out, right before Catherine and Russell walked in.

"How's he doing?" Catherine asked Greg, using the opportunity of Nick being out of the room.

He shook his head. "We should try to act as normal towards him as possible..."

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><p>Greg got ready for a crime scene. Nick was supposed to be with him on the case as well, Greg asked Russell to assign them to the same case. Despite Nick telling him to back off, he wanted to be there for him. Only problem was, he didn't know where Nick went. He wasn't in the locker room and he was gone for almost 20 minutes, so Greg started to look for him in the men's room.<p>

"Nick, are you in there?" he asked. It appeared to be empty, but he could hear Nick wimping. "...Nick? Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine... I'll be out in a minute!"

Greg decided to give him some space and walked out. After another five minutes, Nick came out. He was pale and sweaty, he didn't look fine at all.

"Are you okay?" Before Nick was able to nag about the question, Greg said, "I know, I know, but you look awful!"

He rolled his eyes a bit. "I'm okay."

"You're not. Are you not feeling well? Do you want to go home, get some rest?"

"It's fine, just these stupid meds I need to take. They cause nausea, is all."

Greg tried to help Nick the way he needed to, so he tried not to show his worry too much. "We got a case near Lake Mead. I'll drive."

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><p>They were on their way to the crime scene right now, and Nick was driving. He insisted, but Greg didn't feel too comfortable with that. They didn't talk much on the drive, it was an uncomfortable silence. Almost arrived at the scene, Nick pulled over. Greg looked confused.<p>

Nick didn't say anything, but it was obvious he didn't feel well.

"You want me to..." Greg said, but Nick got out of the car before he could finish. He wanted to follow him, but decided to give him some space. Nick came back several minutes later and opened Greg's door.

"Would you mind driving?" Nick asked meek.

"Sure." Greg sat in the driver's seat. He started the car and drove towards the crime scene.

"No," Nick said quietly. "Could you drive me home first?"

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><p>"Thank you." Nick grabbed the cup of tea Greg handed to him. He was lying on the couch exhausted.<p>

"Do you need anything else?" Greg asked.

He shook his head. "You need to get to the crime scene before you get in trouble."

"Already told DB I'm not coming, in case you need me here. If you want me to leave, that's fine, too."

Nick smiled. "I didn't mean to be an ass. I just... I can't stand feeling vulnerable like that."

He nodded and smiled as he got up, making himself ready to leave.

"Wait..." Nick said quietly. "Could you... You want to watch some TV?"

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><p>"It's different. When you have your gun they have a choice. They know what'll happen when they attack us. It still feels terrible, but somehow... I can deal with that. But he just attacked me out of the blue... For no reason." Nick was sitting on the couch next to Greg. "Why did he do that? I need to know why he attacked me."<p>

"What difference would it make, though? Is there really a good reason for this to make you sleep better? It was just a random attack. You had no choice. You had to fight him off somehow and I'm glad you did." Greg knew these words wouldn't be much comfort, they weren't much comfort to him when he was in his position, but he had no idea what else to say.

"How'd you get over it?"

"Well..." Greg sighed. "I honestly think time is the best remedy. It gets easier every day. And you also have to understand what you did. You fought him off to save your own life. And other people's life. Imagine what would've happened if he would've overpowered you and would've taken your gun."

Nick nodded. He never thought about it that way. "Maybe you're right."

"Maybe? So you think there's the possibility I'm wrong?" Greg said jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. "Is the nausea getting better?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling better." He paused before he went on to say, "I know I owe you an apology..."

Greg shook his head. "You don't. You were upset, it's alright."

"No, it's not. Blaming you for taking precautions when you patched up my wounds was idiotic. I'd be angry with you if you didn't!"

Greg looked down. "This whole situation's not easy for me, either. I try to act the 'right way' about it, but I'm not sure how."

Nick patted him on the shoulder. "You're handling this great. I'm the one who sucks at this."

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><p>Nick took a few sick days. He wanted to work instead, but knew it wasn't possible. The side effects of the post-exposure prophylaxis were too heavy at the moment. Greg made sure to visit him everyday, Nick needed the company right now and Greg appreciated spending some time with his friend. But still, Greg had to work. He couldn't take some time off, too, they needed him at the lab.<p>

Russell asked the team for a family meeting in his office. He had important news regarding the shooting at the restaurant. They all gathered in there, quite anxious about what he had to say.

"Half an hour ago, Robin found something interesting..." Russell said, leaning against his desk. Robin was at the meeting, too. "I ran Petersen's DNA through our databases. He didn't have an ID on him so we had no idea who he actually was. We only got a name. And I doubt it's his real name," she explained.

"Why would he give us a fake name? Was he in on the shooting?" Greg asked confused.

"I don't think so. I think the shooting was a happy coincidence."

"...Happy?" Sara asked even more confused than Greg. What would be happy about a shooting at a restaurant that left one customer hurt and going crazy, attacking Nick?

"I'll get to that. Well, I got no hit in CODIS or any other database that could give this guy an identity. Right now, he's a John Doe."

"Could you please get to the point where the shooting was a happy coincidence?" Greg was getting impatient.

"In a minute," Robin replied annoyed. "So I did get a hit on his DNA. It was found at some crime scenes."

Everybody looked surprised. They didn't see that one coming.

"What kind of crime scenes? Is he a murderer?" Catherine asked interested.

"It's a little more complicated than that..." Russell chimed in, but he gave Robin the chance to explain it all.

"Alright, well, here's what we think we know. Petersen was a member of a terroristic group, the 'humane underground'. They're responsible for at least ten race-related murders, killed two police officers and did three bomb attacks over the last ten years. They found DNA at several crime scenes, Petersen's DNA was found at two. He was carrying three explosives with him when he was at the restaurant."

Greg gulped. "...He wanted to bomb the restaurant?"

"Maybe. They're not sure where he was headed, but it's possible the restaurant was where the bomb was supposed to explode. One of the bombs the group fired before was fired at a restaurant."

"But why a restaurant?" Sara was confused. This was all a bit much to digest for everybody.

"Because the owner was Greek. This was a Chinese restaurant, so... You get the idea."

Greg brushed his hand through his hair. "So... The shooting at the restaurant might've saved a lot of lives... Helped us find one of the group's members..." He instantly thought about Nick. How much better this would probably make him feel, knowing that the man he killed in self defense was a lunatic terrorist. Knowing that this, after all, wasn't entirely a senseless attack.

"Now don't rush anything," Russell said, snapping Greg out of his thoughts.

"...Huh?"

"Nick doesn't need to know everything just now. Give him some time to rest."

"Russell, it would help him so much to know Petersen wasn't just an innocent man! That's exactly what he needs right now!"

"He's right, Greg. Nick will know eventually, but right now he needs rest. He's a victim in this case, not an investigator..." Catherine gently rubbed Greg's back.

He sighed. "But when he comes back to work we tell him, right?"

"Yes. When he comes back, I'll tell him," Russell replied, putting emphasis on the fact that he'll be the one to tell Nick, not Greg.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the review :) I really appreciated and I'm glad you guys like this story!**

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><p>Greg kept his mouth shut about the terrorist thing. He managed to act normal enough around Nick so that he wouldn't even think about asking questions. Greg wasn't great at keeping a secret, but it worked. Until Nick finally did ask. Not because Greg acted weird, but because he wanted to know.<p>

"So, any news on the case yet?" Nick asked, leaning more than sitting on his couch, staring at the TV. Greg was sitting next to him, nervously staring at Nick.

"Well you know..." He shrug his shoulder, hoping Nick would stop asking.

"...Yeah?" Nick asked, hoping Greg would go on.

Greg sighed. "It's an ongoing investigation, you know we can't tell the vic..." He quickly stopped himself. He was sure Nick wouldn't appreciate being called a victim. "Russell will fill you in on everything important once you're back to work." He patted himself on the back in his mind. He thought he saved this quite good.

Nick sat up. "Wow." He looked at Greg with a weird look on his face.

"...What?"

"You know something, don't you?"

"What?" Greg laughed nervously. "That's ridiculous! I don't know anything. See? Knowledge-free!" He laughed even dumber.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Spill it. You know something!"

"Nick," Greg giggled nervously. "I don't."

"Really..." Nick grabbed the remote control. "Then you don't mind me switching to 'Friends'?"

"Sure, why not?" Greg knew there was no way out now. Nick knew how much Greg disliked Friends, he just wanted to torture him into giving up.

"Alright. I don't mind it as much as you do." He switched the channel.

Greg didn't even last five minutes. He really hated Friends and wanted to tell Nick, anyways, he just wasn't allowed to! "Alright, alright! Switch back the channel and I'll tell you!" he said exhausted.

Nick laughed. "Attaboy."

"Okay, but promise me you won't tell Russell I told you. He already gives me work nobody else wants to do because I lied about being stuck in traffic a few days ago... I don't need anymore of that, alright?"

Nick rolled his eyes with a grin on his face.

"Well, Mr. Petersen, the guy... You know... We believe he was a terrorist..."

Nick stared at Greg unbelieving.

"They're responsible for several murders and bomb attacks... They have racist motives, that's why we think he wanted to bomb the Chinese restaurant where he... Well, you know. That's all we know. We have no idea who he was or who he was working with. But it would explain why he attacked you. He wanted to get the hell out of there... Fearing the bomb could go off any second... Or be found by the police. Nick, you probably saved a lot of lives..."

Nick didn't know what to say. He was astonished. It felt kind of good knowing the guy he killed was a bad guy, but it wasn't nearly as much solace as he thought it would be. He wasn't sure how to feel. "Huh."

Greg waited for Nick to say more. But he didn't. "...Is everything alright?"

"I... I don't know. I mean, yeah, it's good to know we kept him from doing anymore harm but..."

"But what? Nick, that's good news!"

"It isn't. There's a lunatic terroristic group in Vegas, what's good about that?"

"We're working on it. We'll find them eventually."

"I hope so..." Nick replied thoughtful.

* * *

><p>Greg was hurrying through the lab's halls with a big pile of case files. Russell found out that Greg told Nick about the case and gave him a hard time for it. He wasn't really angry with him, he expected that to happen, but he kind of enjoyed torturing him for it. Plus, it saved him a lot of time. But Greg was stressed out because of it. He was hurrying into the DNA lab and back outside and walked up to the trace lab.<p>

"Greg!" Officer Spencer said from behind, waving at him.

Greg stopped. "Barry... Hey, what are you doing here?"

He patted Greg on the shoulder. "I came to see you. How're you?"

"Pretty stressed out, to be honest. I..."

"It's been a pretty long time since we hung out together, so I was wondering if you're free tomorrow?"

Greg thought that after all that's happened between the two, it would be weird to be friends. Obviously Spencer didn't think so. "You've heard about the Petersen case, right?"

Spencer nodded.

"Well, the CSI who got attacked, that was Nick... So... I'm trying to be there for him right now, I don't think we'll be able to hang out anytime soon."

Spencer nodded again. "So you'll hang out with him tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry... Listen, I have to go. I'll call you, alright?" Greg hurried inside the trace lab.

* * *

><p>Greg handed several trace samples to Hodges. "And these. Call me as soon as you got something."<p>

"Hey, Greg," Hodges said with a grin on his face, staring outside.

"Hm?"

"What's going on between you and officer Spencer, really?"

"What? Why?" He turned around to look at the direction Hodges was looking at. Spencer was standing there, looking a bit sad.

"Oh no..." Greg shook his head. "He's not sad because I told him I'd rather spend my time with Nick than with him, is he?"

"You said that? Geez, that's insensitive!" Hodges replied teasing.

Greg looked at his watch. He actually didn't have enough time to waste it here, but he didn't want to get out there with Spencer standing right outside. "...Mind if I wait here?"

Hodges laughed as he got to work. "Suit yourself."

* * *

><p>The CSIs were standing in front of the window to the interrogation room. They were anxiously staring in there, waiting for some answers. Nick was there as well.<p>

Russell and Brass were in there, talking to Petersen's sister. His name was actually Chuck Mills. His estranged sister recognized him on the picture the police sent to the news channels. She knew his brother was up to no good, but she had no idea he was a terrorist. She had a cold face impression, but there were lots of signs in her face that she had been crying.

"Can you give us the names of your brother's friends?" Russell asked sympathetically. He felt sorry for her, he was sure it must be hard to hear these news about your dead brother.

She shook her head. "We didn't talk to each other in months, ever since he... I knew he was a racist. I just didn't want to have anything to do with it. I brought you his old address book, but I don't know if he still hangs out with these people..." She put the book on the table. "Maybe it'll help you."

"It definitely will, thank you," he replied. After talking to her a little while, they all got up and walked her out. "If there's something else you want to tell us, you got my number."

She nodded as she walked through the door. She then stopped and turned around. "You know... When I saw his picture on the TV I thought about ignoring it. I thought it would be best to just ignore it. Forget about him... Then I heard he hurt some people... The poor people he murdered... the police officer he injured... How is he, by the way?"

Russell smiled at her. "He'll be fine, don't worry about it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's a new chapter to the story. The last one this year ;) see you 2012!**

**Have you read my New Year's Eve story yet? you can find it here: .net/s/7691726/1/New_Years_Eve (just add the fanfiction address in front of the link and you're good to go!)  
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**Enjoy!**

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><p>Nick had been rather quiet after the sister's interview. Greg went to his home after work. He picked up some food before driving over. He was worried about Nick, he saw the look on his face when he watched the interview, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. He knocked on the door and Nick opened with a pretty annoyed look on his face.<p>

"Hey... Are you alright?" Greg asked worried.

Nick had a sarcastic grin on his face. "Why shouldn't I?"

Greg walked in. "I picked up some Mexican food, you want me to warm it up?"

"Make that three plates!" a male voice said from the bathroom.

Greg looked confused at Nick. "Who's this?"

Officer Spencer walked in. "Greg, good to see you!" He walked over to give him a hug.

"Oh... heeey..." Greg said even more confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I figured since you hang around here all the time and we haven't seen each other for a while now..." He patted Greg on the back and sat down on the couch.

"Hey listen, Greg, there's something in the bedroom I need you to see," Nick said, grabbing Greg's arm and walking him into the bedroom. "We'll be right back, Barry!"

* * *

><p>"What the hell, man?" Nick said annoyed, trying not to be too loud.<p>

"I'm sorry! I didn't ask him to come, I swear. I just told him I'd be here today, I couldn't know he'd take this as an invite!"

Nick sighed. "Great. So now we're stuck with him?"

He shrug his shoulder. "It's only a couple hours. We'll watch TV with him and that's it. He's not a bad guy!"

* * *

><p>They ended up spending five hours with him. They hardly watched any TV, Spencer kept talking to them.<p>

"Man, I thought he'd never leave," Nick said laughing while cleaning up the mess the three had made.

"I know..." Greg said smiling. "But I think he's just lonely."

"I thought he had a lot of friends at work."

Greg shrugged. "I don't know, but why else would he keep trying to befriend me?"

"Who knows..." Nick replied with a grin on his face.

"Oh shut up!" Greg rolled his eyes laughing as he threw an empty can at him.

Nick stopped laughing as he was staring at the TV. It was still on, but with the volume down. Nick grabbed the remote to turn it up. "You think it was them...?"

Greg noticed the terror in Nick's eyes. "It's not the first time a black guy was murdered. Could be anything, really..." he said, trying to comfort him.

"I know it's them..." Nick replied, still staring at the TV.

* * *

><p>Nick stormed into Russell's office. "I want that case!"<p>

Greg walked in behind Nick, giving Russell an "I'm sorry" look.

"What case?" Russell replied rather calm.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Russell looked questioning at Greg. He didn't know, or at least he acted like he didn't.

Greg sighed. "A young black man was found dead a few hours ago... Near the strip."

"Ah, that one. Why?"

"It was them. I'm sure of it!" Nick couldn't control his emotions right now.

"We have no reason to believe that yet, we don't know enough about the case. But if it was, there would be no way I'd let you work that case. You're a victim in this, you can't be part of the investigation."

"Russell, I..."

Greg interrupted him. "Come on, Nick. How about we head back home?"

Nick rubbed his tired eyes. He was emotionally drained, stressed out and tired. "I can't take this anymore. I just sit around useless and do nothing to stop these guys!"

"It's not up to you to stop them. We have enough capable personnel to do that. We'll get them eventually. Right now your job is to get the rest you need. I need you in the field, but not like that." Russell grabbed a business card from a drawer at his desk. "Here. Call him, maybe he can help you."

Nick looked at him puzzled. It was a psychiatrist's card.

"You're taking a few days off. Go see him and don't come back until you feel better, you got that?"

* * *

><p>Nick went home to get the rest Russell was talking about, but Greg stayed at the lab. They had lots of work to do and since he was already here, Russell figured, he could stay and help. He was tired and exhausted as well. The pain Nick was going through was taking a toll on Greg, too. It was hard to see his friend like that. Nick was always the stronger guy – at least on the outside. Seeing him crumbling down right now was tough. But he had to keep himself together and give his all at work, as usual. Right now he was sitting with a witness. She saw the black man getting murdered.<p>

"Did you see their faces?" Greg asked, trying not to sound too tired.

She shrug her shoulder. "Maybe. It all went so fast..."

"Any kind of description would be helpful."

"Well, it was four... No, five guys. They walked up to him, pushed him a few times... He tried to get away but they started beating him. He didn't stand a chance against those five..."

"The men who attacked him... Were they black or white?"

"White, I guess. They were about your height, three were slim, two were a bit on the heavy side. At least two of them were bald..." She went on to describe them.

* * *

><p>"Something about her's off," Greg said as he walked with Russell down the hallway towards the break room. "First she claimed she didn't see enough of them to give a description, and then..." He handed Russell the report.<p>

"Pretty good description."

"Yeah! She wasn't even sure how many they were at first. I'm telling you, something's off."

Sara joined them. "The guy died three days ago and she comes forward now?"

"She claimed she was in shock and just went home, trying to forget it ever happened. When she saw it on the news she decided to come forward..."

"Somebody needs attention, huh?" Sarah said jokingly. It happened occasionally that some people claimed they witnessed a crime when all they wanted was attention.

"Well if you think something about her's wrong, check her background," Russell said as he walked into the break room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year everybody!**

* * *

><p>Greg was just about to walk out the lab when he spotted Ms. Paulson walking in. "Ms. Paulson. What can I do for you?"<p>

"Hi... I need to talk to you, they told me at the police station you'd be here. Can we talk somewhere?"

"Sure, follow me."

They walked to a bench to sit down.

"I feel kind of silly... I totally forgot about this." She handed him a cigarette butt in a plastic back.

Greg looked surprised. "Is this..."

"One of the guys smoked it while they... You know."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"I don't know if it'll help you, but..."

"I'm sure it will," he replied with a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"Do you have the result yet?" Russell asked while reading Greg's report.<p>

"No, Robin's running it as we speak. It won't hold up in court, anyway, if we get a hit, but it could help us... if it's legit," Greg replied.

"You're still doubting her? Found anything on the background check?"

"I was about to do that now."

"You told me yesterday you'd do it." Russell raised an eyebrow.

"I know, I know. I just didn't have any time yet. Don't worry, consider it done."

Normally, Russell would give Greg a speech about priorities now. But he knew the last days weren't easy for him, either, so he held back. "Well then, don't let me stop you."

When Russell was about to sit down and Greg turned around to walk towards the door, they heard a loud bang and the glass walls breaking. They were surprised by the blast and pushed to the ground.

Silence. Awful silence, followed by screams. Greg slowly tried to get up, supporting himself on Russell's desk. Glass lying on the table cut his hand open. He didn't even notice. "Russell?" He looked around. Glass was lying everywhere. The air was smoky and he only was able to see silhouettes of people pass the room. "Russell!"

"I'm alright..." He replied low-keyed, lying on the ground, pushing the chair off of him and trying to get up.

Greg helped him. "Can you stand up?"

Russell nodded rapidly. "Told you I'm alright... Come on." They walked out of the office, trying to make their way out of the lab, and looking for possibly injured colleagues. "Where is everybody?" he asked worried. The lab appeared to be empty. The screams they just heard were getting quieter and finally stopped. Awful silence again. "...Is everybody out already? Hello?" Russell yelled, hoping to get a reply. Silence.

"Let's get out of here..." Greg said. With all the smoke in the air it was hard to see the exit, but they managed to get out.

* * *

><p>"Thank god you two are okay!" Catherine and Sara hurried up to Greg, Russell and some of the lab rats. They got out of the lab 15 minutes ago. They all couldn't help but think about that one time Greg's DNA lab exploded because of a careless mistake Catherine made. "Is anyone injured?"<p>

"Just some minor injuries from the glass..." Greg said as Catherine hugged him. Dust from Greg's clothes transferred to Catherine's.

"That doesn't look like glass..." Sara said as she pointed at Robin. Two nails were stuck in her shoulder. She was being taken into an ambulance right now. "I'd better ride with her!" She quickly ran over to the ambulance and got in.

"What the hell happened in there?" Catherine asked rather helpless.

"They don't know yet. They had to clear the whole lab because of the smoke. They fear it might've been some chemicals..." Russell sat down on the ground. He sighed. "It didn't smell like chemicals. It smelled like a bomb..."

"You don't think someone..." Catherine replied shocked. A bomb attack at the lab? How would that even be possible?

"I better call Nick..." Greg got his cell phone out. It broke when he was hitting the ground. "Cath, my phone is... Can I borrow..."

"Sure." She quickly handed it to him. He walked a few feet away to call Nick while Catherine and Russell kept talking about his theories.

"Would be a weird coincident if something like this happened right after we start investigating a terroristic group, huh?" He held his glasses in his hands. They were smashed just like Greg's phone.

* * *

><p>The CSIs and lab rats were able to get back to work a few hours later. Except for Robin nobody else had to be taken to the hospital to take care of their wounds, but most of them had at least scratches. Greg and Russell had more scratches and cuts than most others since Russell's office was closer to the point of detonation. They thought maybe the bomb was targeted at Russell.<p>

But there was also another theory. The firefighter found a second bomb that didn't detonate. It was placed on the other side of the lab. The theory was that this bomb, a much smaller one, was supposed to scare the people and make them run out the exit. When they did, the second bomb near the exit, the one that actually went off first, would go off and hurt and kill as many as possible. Luckily, the smaller bomb wasn't built correctly and therefore didn't go off.

"That one's pretty deep," Greg said as he was standing in the break room's doorway, pointing at Russell's forehead. He had a big cut, dried blood was around the wound. He didn't have time to wash his face, yet. "Maybe you should get that one checked out at the hospital."

"And what about your hand?" Russell said with a smile on his face. Greg cut his hand open while standing up. It was a rather deep, hurtful wound, but nothing serious. He also had some smaller cuts on his face. A big, hurtful bruise from when he was thrown against Russell's desk by the blast was visible on Greg's ribcage, but he didn't tell anyone. Little did he know one of his ribs was broken.

"Nah. I've been at the hospital too many times. Any word on Robin yet?"

Russell nodded. "She's fine. Luckily, the nails didn't go in too deep. She's already home."

Greg looked over to Russell's office. It was being repaired at the moment. It was a strange feeling, the sight of the blown-up lab. Again. It made Greg think about the time he got injured in the lab explosion. He sighed. "I think this is my fault."

"Why would you think that?"

"Ms. Paulson. I'm sure she did it."

"Let's not get ahead of the evidence. We know nothing about this woman, why should it be her who did this?"

"Because she was here right before it happened! She leaves and twenty minutes later the lab blows up! That can't be a coincidence!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. We don't know yet. Henry said the cigarette butt she brought us is still usable, we'll get our DNA results."

"I guarantee you this DNA won't help us. Maybe she wants to lead us in the wrong direction, maybe she just needed a reason to come here... Maybe..."

"Greg. Stop. Calm down, take a deep breath, you're babbling again."

"...Sorry." Greg was on the edge right now. He needed some rest badly, but they needed him at the lab.

"Now, what do we know about this woman?"

"I tried to call her... It's a fake number. I looked up her address. It's near the Chinese restaurant, you know, the one where Nick got attacked. And her name's a fake name, either."

Russell gave him a rather annoyed look. "Had I known this two minutes earlier... Now I believe she had something to do with the bombs, too."

Greg was too tired and still in shock, he didn't realize this information would help Russell understand why Ms. Paulson was very likely the one responsible for the bombs. "Told you so! But how are we gonna..." He had an idea. "Wait!" He ran away and came back half a minute later with a trash can.

Russell looked at it confused. "You wanna lie down or something?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "It's in there somewhere! She was drinking coffee from a Styrofoam cup!" He quickly put on gloves and started looking for the cup. "Get your camera!" Russell did and came back. Greg had found the cup. "There!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Poor Greg can't catch a break, huh? I don't think any other CSI has been in more explosions ;)**

**Thanks for the reviews and story alerts! Keep 'em coming!  
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><p>Since Robin was at home, taking a few days off, Greg had to process the DNA on the cup he just took out of the trash can. The DNA lab got smashed pretty good by the bomb and it was weird for him to be in there. Feelings from when the DNA lab exploded a few years ago were crawling up on him. He felt highly uncomfortable but had to keep himself together. This was important. He tried to concentrate as good as he could, but his hands kept shaking, like they did back then, only worse. He could literally feel the pain from the wounds he received back then. "Hodges!"<p>

He was walking by the DNA lab. He walked in. "Yeah?"

"You said you wanted to learn more about DNA processing, right?"

"...I did when..."

Greg interrupted him. "Well, here's your chance. Come on, I'll show you."

"Before you were interrupting me rudely, I was trying to tell you I only did when I thought I had a chance with Robin. Actually, no, I didn't even then. I was just saying that, hoping it'll help me with her," Hodges replied rather annoyed. Most people tried to be understanding and supportive after an incident like that, but Hodges just became more annoying. He wasn't dealing well with things like that.

"Come on, this one's important."

"Then why don't you do it?" He finally noticed Greg's shaking hands, reaching out the DNA sample to him. He grabbed it. "Alright, master, teach me everything you know!"

* * *

><p>Nick heard a knock on his door. He wanted to be at the lab, be there for his colleagues, but Greg insisted on him staying home. Greg figured the sight of the messed up lab wouldn't help Nick get better, he didn't need that kind of stress. Nick planned on going later, anyways. "You got to be kidding me..." he said under his breath while looking through the fish eye. He opened the door. "Spencer, what are you doing here?"<p>

* * *

><p>Hodges and Greg were both hurrying into the break room, knowing Russell was sitting there, using it as his office since his office was messed up. He wasn't able to work in there.<p>

"I got a result!" Greg said excited.

"No, **I** got a result!" Hodges said competitive.

Russell looked at them tired and confused.

Hodges took the file with the results out of Greg's hands and handed it over to Russell. "There you go, boss!"

"What's going on here?"

"The Styrofoam cup! We got a match to..."

Hodges interrupted him. "...To DNA that was found at some of the crime scenes from Humane Underground!"

Greg gave Hodges a rather hostile look. Hodges returned it with an evil grin.

Russell rubbed his temples. "So this woman, Ms. Paulson, is one of the terrorists. She was at the police station and in this lab... And planted two bombs in here. How?"

"Well, I walked her towards the exit but then I left. I didn't see her walking out. She probably went back in and placed the bombs when nobody was looking."

"Yeah, and I processed her DNA sample!" Hodges said proud. He received rather annoyed looks both by Russell and Greg.

"And the cigarette butt?" Russell asked.

"Came back to Jonathan Green," Greg explained as he handed Russell the files.

"Why is he in the system?"

"He's a cop."

Russell looked up surprised. "A cop?"

"A Jewish cop, to be correct. I'm telling you, they were trying to lead us in the wrong direction, and while they're at it, give somebody they're against a hard time."

Russell nodded. "Contact him and check his alibi. We need to be thorough."

Nick walked in. "Hey guys, you're okay?"

Hodges patted him on the shoulder. "Sure! I just helped break the case!"

Greg rolled his eyes, looking at Hodges. "What are you doing here, Nick? I told you to stay at home."

"I need to talk to you."

* * *

><p>Nick insisted they walk into Russell's office. He wanted to see the intensity of the bomb and needed some private space to talk with Greg. It was obvious, though, that Greg felt uncomfortable in there. "What is it you want to talk about?"<p>

"Your number one fan visited me today," Nick replied rather annoyed.

"What?" Greg was confused. Then he knew. "...Spencer?"

Nick nodded. "He's insane. He came over to whine about the lab explosion, he was close to tears!"

"Why did he come to you?"

"Well, apparently he wasn't able to call you and panicked. He wanted me to accompany him to the lab." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Wow... That's kinda weird, isn't it?" Greg wasn't sure what to make of this. He didn't even want to be friends with Spencer, and now he cared so much about him. "I'll... I'll talk to him."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right.."

"What? I said I'll talk to him, what else can I do?"

Nick shook his head. "Sorry, I'm just..." He looked around the office. "Wow. That must've been a pretty big explosion..."

Greg nodded, staring at the mess the bomb has caused. "So, is this all you wanted to talk about?"

"Mhm."

"See you later, then? There's a lot to do now, so... Bye!" Greg turned around and walked out.

* * *

><p>Greg was exhausted. He just came back from the sketch artist, trying to give accurate description of Ms. Paulson and pulled a double. And that day wasn't even near the end.<p>

"How'd it go?" Russell asked Greg as he passed him by in the hallway.

"Good. I handed the sketch over to Brass, her picture's going to be all over the news."

"Great. And how's Nick doing?"

Greg shrugged. "Good, I guess."

"And you?"

He nodded. "I'm good."

"You look tired."

Greg laughed humorlessly. "Who in this lab isn't?"

Russell rolled his eyes a bit. "You're working a double, right?"

Greg nodded.

"Oh Greg." He patted him on the back, not noticing Greg's wincing out of pain when he did. "When will you understand that I always know when you're lying? You already ended your double three hours ago. You need to rest. Go home."

He sighed. "There's a bunch of DNA samples that need to be processed."

"Alright, I'll call the DNA tech from swing shift. He's available, I'm sure he won't mind coming in a few hours early."

"...Okay, thanks," Greg finally said. It wasn't just that he wanted to support his colleagues. He also didn't find the thought of being home alone all that comforting. He knew he wasn't able to get much sleep, anyway, but right now he had no choice.

* * *

><p>Greg was home, getting a few hours of sleep. He kept waking up from bad dreams about the explosion – both the one that happened a few hours ago and the one from a few years ago. The little sleep he got didn't help him feel rested at all, but he was too beat to get up, either. He had to, though, when his cell phone rang.<p>

"_Greg, I hate to ask you, but we need you back at the lab..." _Russell said on the phone.

"Be right there..." Greg replied sleepy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Up to the next chapter, guy :)**

* * *

><p>When Greg entered the lab, everybody had a serious look on their faces, some even appeared to be mourning. He prepared for the worst. "Hey," he said carefully as he passed Catherine. "What happened?"<p>

Catherine was one of the people with a rather sad, almost mourning, look on her face. She was also in a hurry. "Russell and Brass are in the break room, they'll tell you." She touched Greg's arm gently as she walked by him hastily.

Great, he thought. That didn't sound good at all. What the hell happened?

He walked in and saw Russell, Brass and a few other people from the lab sitting in there.

"We have another crime scene," Brass said to Greg rather angry. His anger wasn't aimed at Greg, of course, but it made him know something bad had happened.

* * *

><p>Greg and Russell accompanied Brass to the crime scene, Sara was already waiting for them. The sight of the crime scene wasn't bloodier than most other crime scenes they see everyday, but this one was especially awful for them to see.<p>

"Witnesses say they were walking into that house, then shots could be heard..." Sara said as she walked up to the three.

Greg looked around. An ambulance and two police cars were standing near the house. Holes were shot in them. "Did anyone listen to the 911 call yet?"

"Hodges' on it." Russell replied.

"Hodges? He doesn't have any experience in that kind of work, why him?"

"We need every hand we can get at the moment. It's not ideal, but..."

"Then let's call Nick."

"I thought about it, but he needs the time off. You said that yourself."

"Yeah but it's different now. He doesn't need to get out in the field, but listening to that phone call, he can do it."

Russell thought about it. Greg was right, Hodges wasn't the perfect fit for the job. "I'll ask him." He walked away to make the phone call.

"Alright then... Let's go in," Sara said.

* * *

><p>Greg came back from the crime scene to drop off some samples. He had another half hour until the bodies arrived at the morgue, so he figured he could take a nap in the break room. When he walked in, Spencer was sitting on the couch crying. "Greg, I'm so glad you're here!" He quickly got up and walked up to Greg, giving him a long, tight hug.<p>

He had a hurtful look on his face, groaning silently in pain. "Barry..." he said, trying to break free from the hug. "What are you doing here? And why are you crying?"

"The cops who died in the shooting earlier were my friends..."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

Spencer sniffed. "Thank you. I also knew the paramedics, cool guys... It's a real tragedy."

Greg nodded. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I don't know, I... I'm still in shock..."

"Are you on the clock right now?"

"No, my shift ended an hour ago... I just wanted to see you."

Greg looked a bit uncomfortable. It was weird hearing something like that from a guy he hardly knew. "Well you should go home and get some rest."

He nodded. "You're probably right..." He walked towards the door but stopped before he walked out and turned around with a really sad face. "I just don't want to be alone right now..."

Greg shuddered when he heard that. "...Why don't you call one of your buddies from the station? I'm sure they're going through the same right now." He wasn't sure, but he thought Spencer's face went from a sad one to a disappointed one.

"Yeah..." Spencer walked out.

Greg sighed as he lay down on the couch, hoping to finally get some sleep.

* * *

><p>Greg woke up when he received a text message. After reading it, he sat up and noticed Nick sitting at the table. "Nick? What are you doing here?"<p>

"I just listened to the 911 call, now I'm waiting for..." He received a text message, too. "This."

"What is it?"

"Doc Robbins. The bodies are ready."

"Why don't you go home? You were only supposed to listen to the phone call."

"How can I go home after what's happened? I need to help."

Greg rubbed his eyes. "This is all my fault, I shouldn't have told Russell to call you... What was I thinking? That you'd go back home after listening to that call?" he said rather mocking.

"It's alright. I'm getting bored at home, anyway. But now that I'm here, you can go home, get some sleep."

"No thanks. I just woke up."

"So you're wearing these dark circles under your eyes because it's fashionable now?" Nick replied with a smile on his face.

"You can either mock me or accompany me to the morgue, it's your choice," he said while rolling his eyes.

* * *

><p>The bodies were stagging up at the morgue. Two police officers and two paramedics were lying there on Doc Robbins' table. It was always hard for the coroners when they had a police officer to perform an autopsy on, but this time was even worse.<p>

"I'll tell you how many times they were shot when we're finished counting..." Doc Robbins said with a rather sad look on his face. The bodies had dozens of bullet holes in them.

"Is there anything you can tell us that'll help us find who did this?" Greg asked while staring at the bodies. He'd never seen so many bullet holes in one person.

"I'm afraid not. You already collected the bullets, all I can tell you is that they were shot, but I feel stupid stating the obvious here."

* * *

><p>They walked back to the lab a bit disappointed. They hoped Doc Robbins could tell them something.<p>

"Are you going home now?" Greg asked Nick, trying to make some small talk. Neither one was in the mood to talk right now, but not saying anything felt weird, too.

"Nope."

"Did you call the psychiatrist Russell recommended?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"'Cause I'm fine."

"You're sure?" Greg asked worried.

Nick sighed. "I had a lot of time to think everything through. What happened is awful, but life must go on."

Greg didn't believe Nick was feeling better already. He tried to accept that Nick thought so, though. "What about the meds' side effects? Still have those?"

"Not really. I have only one week left to take those, anyways."

The talk felt very one-sided for Greg as Nick didn't look too interested in talking. "So, did Russell assign you to a case yet?"

Nick stopped and looked at Greg. "What?"

Somehow, Greg knew what he said was wrong. He wasn't sure why, though. "...What case are you working on?"

"This one, silly." Nick kept on walking.

"...Y-You can't."

"I am."

"Nick, does Russell know about this?" Greg was confused. He remembered Russell saying Nick was a victim in this case, not an investigator. And everybody knew Humane Underground was in on this murder.

"He doesn't mind." Nick was lying. Russell had no idea, but he figured since he was allowed to listen to the 911 call it was okay to keep on working on that case.

Greg knew Nick was lying, he just wasn't sure he should say something. Nick was quite quick-tempered lately. "Alright..." He was walking towards the break room.

Nick grabbed his arm to stop him. "Where are you going?"

"You go to ballistics, I have someplace else to be," he replied with a faint smile on his face as he gently slipped out of Nick's grip.

"Wait."

He turned around to face Nick.

"Russell doesn't know I'm working the case. I know he wouldn't like it, but..."

Greg tilted his head back. "He has good reason not to. Face it, Nick. You're part of this investigation. You're a victim in this. You shouldn't work this case, their lawyers would give us hell for letting you touch anything concerning that case and you know that."

"I just can't sit around and do nothing. I want to help. I want to do something, I want to..." He shook his head. "I need to get active in finding them so that I can stop being their victim."

Greg knew how Nick felt. He was in a similar position before, but it still was completely different. He had an uncomfortable smile on his face. "I know the feel, Nick. But there's other ways for these feelings to stop."

"And that would be?" Nick asked with a hurting look on his face.

Greg patted him on the shoulder. "Like I said before. Time. And rest. You should go home."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hope you're all ready for the last chapter! I really hope you liked the story and will enjoy this chapter :) I already have a few ideas for upcoming stories and hope to upload the next story in the next few days. If you have any questions, feedback or ideas you want me to know about, please feel free to write a review or a private message! I always love to hear what you think about my stories and my writing style. You can also tell me what you'd wish for my upcoming stories. More or less of a certain character, what kind of genre you'd prefer, anything! I'll try to acknowledge your wishes as good as possible :)**

**Okay, enough blah blah from me! Now enjoy the last chapter!**

**Big Love,**

**pikapikatchu**

* * *

><p>Nick didn't go home, but he asked Russell to assign him to a different case. The others kept working on the terrorist case and got some hits. A sketch of Ms. Paulson was handed to the news stations and people started recognizing her. Several callers were claiming to know her. Brass and Sara were on their way to an apartment complex where she was spotted several times. Nobody knew if she lived there, though.<p>

The plan was to knock on every door and try to find her, but they were lucky. She was just walking out of the building. They arrested her immediately and Brass and Sara walked into the apartment Paulson claimed to live in. They found enough evidence to confirm she was a racist, especially on her computer.

* * *

><p>Brass and Russell interrogated her. The rest of the team was watching through the window.<p>

"Give us your accomplices' names," Brass said as he put a notebook and a pen on the table.

She grinned as she looked at Russell's forehead. She knew the cut on it was a result of her bomb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Brass grinned, too. Greg walked in with his kit. Paulson's grin got even bigger when she saw the cuts on Greg's face and hand.

"Oh no, what happened to your pretty face?" she asked grinning.

"Open your mouth, please," he said, trying to suppress his anger towards her. He had a swab in his hand.

"What if I don't?"

"There's other ways to get your DNA, but this one would be more comfortable for everybody," Brass said with a devilish grin.

She gave him a look and then opened her mouth. Greg took a DNA sample, finger prints and some hairs. "Alright, thank you. When your DNA matches some samples found at other murder scenes... And we know it will, you're in big trouble." He walked out.

She had a rather concerned look on her face. She wasn't sure if they were just fooling her or not, but she knew female unknown DNA was found on some of their scenes. They said that on the news.

"Isn't it funny that one single swab contains not only your DNA but also your future? They don't let cop murderers out of prison alive in Nevada, do they, Jim?" Russell asked mocking.

"Nope, they get the needle around here. Except they tell us who their accomplices are."

* * *

><p>"She caved in quickly," Catherine said with a smile on her face. Paulson gave them a lot of names before the DNA results came back. She also admitted that bombing the lab, as well as shooting those officers and paramedics was to avenge Petersen's death. She actually wanted to bomb the police station, but since they told her Greg was at the lab, she decided it was easier to do it there. Brass and his men were on their way to arrest each one of the people Paulson turned on. The CSIs were waiting in the break room.<p>

"God, I hope this is over soon. The waiting is killing me!" Sara said, tapping her fingers on the table. She looked over to Nick and Greg. Both were looking a bit lost in their thoughts.

Greg's cell phone rang. He got snapped out of his thoughts immediately, walked out and answered the call. "Sanders."

"_Hey Greg, it's Barry!"_

"Hi... Listen, it's a bad time, can I call you back?"

"_I'm on my way to one of those guys,"_ officer Spencer said.

"What guys?"

"_The terrorists, you know. I wanted to ask you if you want to come celebrate later."_

Greg looked a bit baffled. That was all Spencer was thinking about at the moment? "I... I don't know. I'm really beat, I think I'll just head home and get some sleep..."

"Come on, just one beer or something to celebrate! A lot of my colleagues will come!"

"Nice you asked, but I think I have to pass this time. Good luck with arresting this guy, though!" He quickly hung up and walked back into the break room. Sara and Nick were looking at him, wondering who the caller was.

"Spencer..." Greg said a bit embarrassed. He sat back down.

They waited for almost half an hour, then Russell's phone rang. He had a serious look on his face when he hung up. He looked at his colleagues. "Suspect's on the way to the hospital, he probably won't make it. Two cops were injured, too..."

Greg immediately thought about Spencer. "...Did he say who?"

He shook his head. "They'll be okay, though."

Greg sighed relieved. Whether or not Spencer was one of the injured cops, it was good to hear they would be alright.

* * *

><p>The CSIs were finally allowed to take a break that lasted longer than five minutes – they were allowed to go home! Everyone was exhausted, so they decided to celebrate another time. Catherine and Sara left already, and while Russell was still in the break room doing some paperwork, Nick and Greg were in the locker room, getting ready to go home.<p>

"So you're back to work for real now?" Greg asked Nick as he put on his shoes. He cringed a bit when he bended down.

"Yep. I think going back to normal is the best way of coping, you know? Keeping my mind off of things. And this attack was good for something after all, right?"

Greg smiled at him and got up to close his locker. "That's the spirit." He walked towards the door.

Spencer was just hurrying inside. "There you are!" He hugged Greg.

Again, he cringed. He coughed a bit. "Wha... what are you doing here?"

Nick watched them, analyzing what was just happening.

"I came here to ask you again if you wanted to come celebrate with me! We got them!" He patted Greg on the back.

Greg put his hands in front of his body rather defensive, giving him a faint smile. "I'm sorry, I really need to get some rest, you know... I'm not in the mood to celebrate."

Spencer looked disappointed, then looked to Nick. He shook his head, letting Spencer know it wasn't even worth asking. He sighed. "Alright... Maybe the next time, alright?" He walked away.

Greg sat down and sighed, tilting his head forward.

"Have you been to the hospital?" Nick asked, sitting down next to Greg.

Greg gave him an astonished look. "What?"

"After the explosion, I mean. You're obviously in pain. Why didn't you say something?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing. I just hit the desk when... It's just a bruise. And it only hurts when someone hugs me too tight," he said jokingly.

"Or when you're bending down... Or when someone's touching you, right?" Nick replied with a smile on his face. "Come on, I'll drive you."

"No, Nick. Really, I don't want to..."

"It's not so much about what you want but what you need."

"What I need is my bed and about three days of sleep! Don't you think we've all spent enough time at the hospital? I established a new rule. Only go to the hospital when your life depends on it!" he joked. When he laughed, he started to cough.

"You're sure this one's not one of the times?" Nick laughed. He knew Greg's condition wasn't life threatening, but it was obvious it wasn't pleasant, either.

" 'Course I am! Now come on, let's go home." Greg stood up and quickly bended a bit.

Nick rapidly jumped off his seat and let Greg lean on him. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Just hurts a little, I'm fine."

"That's it, I'm driving you to the hospital."

"No, Nick, I'm just tired, it'll go away after a good night's sleep, I'm sure." He tried to walk out the door but didn't get far. Nick had to support him.

"You can't even walk, how are you supposed to drive home? Come on."

* * *

><p>Greg complained all the way to Nick's car, but Nick didn't even listen. He was determined to get Greg to the hospital and he did, Greg couldn't do anything against it and knew it wasn't smart to try avoid it, either. Luckily, he didn't have to stay at the hospital. They made x-rays from his ribs and confirmed that one of them was broken. He was sent home with some pain killers the same day.<p>

"That bruise looked nasty," Nick said while helping Greg get inside his apartment.

"Nobody asked you to take a look at it," Greg replied laughing.

"Nah, don't take it the wrong way. I'm always interested in nasty stuff. Why do you think I became a CSI in the first place? And this bruise... wow, fascinating! I've never seen so many shades of blue and purple!"

"You're a jerk, you know that?" He rolled his eyes laughing. "But thanks for taking me to the hospital and bringing me home." He gave him a warm smile.

"Sure, anytime. And you'll be alright?"

Greg nodded. "I'll take a handful of these and sleep like a baby!" he said, referring to the painkillers and sleeping pills the doctor at the hospital prescribed.

Nick gave him a smile. "Don't overdo it, alright? Be careful with these. And if you need anything, just call. Good night." He walked out. Despite what he told Greg, he was still having a rough time dealing with what happened in the restaurant, it would take him a few months to be able to keep the thoughts about it in the back of his head. When he would finally receive the good news that he didn't contract HIV, he would start to feel better and eventually process the attack properly. The memory of this awful attack would no longer haunt him.

Greg was also being haunted by bad memories, memories from the explosion. It ripped open old wounds he thought had already healed. He tried to ignore the thoughts about it as good as he could and it actually worked. He talked with Russell about it once, but that was it. He, more or less, forgot about it eventually and was able to get on with his life.

Both of them didn't know how much it helped, but knowing to have each other's support was probably the thing that helped them get over their problems the most.

* * *

><p>Ende.<p> 


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